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Instance

The word "instance" is most often seen in the gaming world in the context of MMORPGs. On the most basic level, an instance is an area that players can enter and become separated from the persistent word of the MMORPG at large. Content that is instanced is usually constructed that way so multiple groups can access independent versions of the same area simultaneously, and so players can revisit the content multiple times.

Most often, instances are dungeons or raid areas that groups of players tackle at once. Usually players enter through a portal in the MMORPG world and then go through a loading screen before getting dropped in an "instance" of a dungeon. Players grouped together can enter the same instance, or version, of the dungeon.

Each time a group enters through the portal, they see the same dungeon as every other group, but are playing through their own, "instanced" version of that dungeon, with their own set of enemies and bosses to defeat, and cannot see other groups of players. Instancing content in this way prevents some of the problems that result when separate groups try to engage the same world content at once, like kill-stealing or camping.

Instanced content that is very popular or trivially easy to conquer, like an older raid area, is often set on a lockout timer that only allows players to finish it once within a certain time period, usually a week or so.

Phased content is a similar concept to instancing, though it is seamlessly integrated throughout the world of an MMORPG. Certain quests or events may enter players into a phase where they see a version of the MMORPG world that only others participating in the same quest or event can see, while players who are not participating can't see the players that are. Entering phased content, though, does not require entering through a portal.